TankAndBarrel.com case study

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The customer

TankAndBarrel.com is an authorized e-commerce retailer for more than 20 tank and barrel manufacturers. As a family owned and operated business, they keep their overhead low and pass on the savings to their customers. The site offers more than 2,000 individual products that ship direct from the manufacturer to customers across the country. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, the company is committed to ensuring their customers have a great experience each and every time they use the site.

The challenge

When TankAndBarrel.com launched in 2014, the owners quickly realized they needed some shipping and logistics help. Because many tanks and barrels are too large and bulky for parcel service, they usually have to ship LTL or flatbed. For TankAndBarrel.com, this meant manually calculating shipping rates for nearly every order placed. “For the first few months, we were going nowhere fast,” said company president Bill Vasel. “We were losing sales. Online customers have come to expect instant shipping rates. If they couldn’t get that from us, they would simply go somewhere else.”

The process

After a few months of slower sales, TankAndBarrel.com started the process of looking for logistics help in order to improve their customer experience and offer instant online quotes. After investigating several companies, TankAndBarrel.com found the perfect partner in Freightquote by C.H. Robinson. The process started with some basic education about the complex world of LTL shipping. Freightquote provided TankAndBarrel.com with whitepapers, resources and one-on-one assistance. “We were surprised how quickly our rep could walk us through everything,” Vasel said. After reviewing and implementing some best practices, TankAndBarrel.com was ready to integrate Freightquote technology into their website and provide support for their customers instead of fielding calls for quotes.

The Freightquote by C.H. Robinson Solution.

For websites like TankAndBarrel.com that utilize popular shopping cart and e-commerce platforms, Freightquote offers easy-to-implement plug-ins. These plug-ins seamlessly query Freightquote’s API (application programming interface) to deliver instant quotes right within the shopping cart interface.

All TankAndBarrel.com is responsible for is ensuring the freight class (based on dimensions, weight and other key factors) is accurate in their product database. The shopping cart plug-in even allows customers to customize their shipment with necessary accessorials like liftgate service, residential delivery and more. 

Freightquote technology simplifies back-of-house operations for TankAndBarrel.com. Freightquote provides one source for both staff and customers to track the status of their shipments from start to finish. Because it integrates so seamlessly with TankAndBarrel.com’s e-commerce platform, it makes invoicing and billing easier than ever.

The integration.

Integrating the Freightquote API with TankAndBarrel.com website was simple and straightforward. TankAndBarrel.com was able to add shipping quotes to their existing shopping cart solution by using the Freightquote ready-made plugin. They downloaded the software and followed simple directions. The transition was quick, easy and required minimal development time. 

The results.

As Vasel says, “When you can provide real-time freight rates, customers are happy, which directly translates into more sales, revenue and profit.” Since implementing the Freightquote API into their customer experience, the company’s sales have more than quadrupled. Because the solution immediately reduced the daily tasks at hand, the company is able to maintain focus on keeping overhead low and passing on savings – allowing for better customer service rather than focusing on day-to-day logistic operations. 

The relationship.

While Freightquote technology handles most of the work, TankAndBarrel.com still relies on their relationship with Freightquote when unexpected challenges arise – like navigating how best to prepare a new product for shipment or filing claims for damaged freight. “They really see this as a valued partnership,” said Vasel. “When we grow, they grow. It’s a win-win situation.” 

Unlike other logistics companies, Freightquote assigns a single representative to handle all of TankAndBarrel.com’s needs. “Having a dedicated representative saves us a ton of time,” said Vasel. “We don’t have to explain who we are or what we do every time we make a call.” 

Plus, through regular freight spend analyses with their rep, TankAndBarrel.com can ensure the best freight rate and experience for their customers. These analyses ensure TankAndBarrel.com is using the right carriers, the right service and right shipping lanes to meet their – and their customers’ – unique needs.

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